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An Exclusive Interview With Rev. James Nyemah: Self - Help Motivational Writer

A Conversation with Rev. James Nyemah, author of ESTABLISH ME, BORN TO TAKE CHARGE and WHERE IS GOD?

Tell
us a little about yourself and your background?

I
am Rev. James Nyemah, the founder and senior of Africa Faith Expressions and
President of Missions Liberia (ml). I am a pastor, leader and author.I am the first grandson of the late Ma Phebe
Nyemah of Gbiso, a great woman of God from Maryland County in Liberia.I was born in Monrovia, but grew up in
Maryland County.I spent several years
in Tabou, Ivory Coast, as a refugee; but relocated to Phoenix, Arizona –
USA.I spent few years serving in
different ministry positions at Restoration Assemblies of God in Phoenix,
Arizona between June 2001 and December 2005.I got my first degree in May 2005, a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Grand
Canyon University.Meanwhile,
in December

2005, a new church, Africa Faith Expressions, that reaches
out to the African immigrants, opened its doors for ministry.Between 2005 to 2010, I spent most of my time
assisting fellow African refugees, especially Liberians, integrate in the
Phoenix Metropolitan area.In 2008, I
made my first missions trip to Liberia and started two churches in Pleebo and
Zwedru in Liberia.Today, we have
another church in Harper and we have two church building projects underway.In
2011 December to September 2013, I spent most of my time in Liberia running
Missions Liberia (ml), an organization dedicated to Leadership Training and
Community Development.Through the
Leadership Conferences, we trained and inspired more than 5500 pastors and
community leaders in Monrovia, Zwedru, Pleebo and Harper.I wrote
my first book, “Where is God?”, in May 2014 to deal with the harsh realities of
life that make people wonder about the place of God in this world. In June 2015, my second book “Born To Take
Charge”, a book about Leadership, Discovery and Purpose, was released.Just last month, in June of this year, I
published my recent book, “Establish Me”,

this book shows us how to navigate
the narrow passages of life to be successful.

What
are your ambitions for your writing career?

At first, I had an idea I wanted others to know, something
that would help people; then it turned into trying to become a published
author.But now, it is more!I want people everywhere to develop the passion
to read; and of course, read my books too.I want to work with my colleagues and fellow African and Liberian
authors to promote literacy back home in Liberia and write our own story,
instead others always telling half-stories about us.Not only do I want to be a point of
reference, and a prolific author, but I want to become a publisher and print
books and other literature in Liberia. In 5 years from now on, I want one in
every ten books read in Liberia, to be my book!

What
inspire you to tell your story to the world?

During
my first missions trip to Liberia in 2008, seeing the gravity of human
suffering, the effects of a senseless war, and other evils that happened around
the world, I wanted to try to answer a question about the place of God in this

world,
something people are asking everywhere.From that desire, I felt compelled to attempt to give answers to real
life issues that affect people.My
authorship is about giving people something that will help have information,
direction, empowerment and live the good life.Whether through non-fiction or even fiction, I want to write in simple
ways for people to understand and make decisions that will push them forward in
life.And besides this, I realized
earlier on, that knowledge today, for the most part, is hidden in books; so I
want to give it to people in an easy way.

Where
can we buy or see your books? (* include American, European and any other
relevant links. Free, free promotions or prices can be included)

All
my books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other sites online,
including my own site, especially for anyone who needs autographed copies,
www.jamesnyemah.com. I have worked with my publisher and reduced the books
prices from $24.95 to $14.99. We are currently working on e-books across all
platforms, translations in French and Spanish, and perhaps audio CDs as well.Besides all this, I am

working
with all the platforms, to see how to do giveaways, starting with Amazon.

What
are you working on at the minute?

I am working on a title called “SHINE”, it deals with all
the stuff that wants to block our stars from shining and teaches us how to
polish our stars, regardless of the opposition.“SHINE” is a book that will keep you glued in your seat as you go
through the pages until you finish.

How
do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

From the way I processed things when writing my first book
“Where is God?” and how I put things in my second book, “Born To Take Charge”,
there is a graduation.My presentation
and mannerism is elevating accordingly; but yet I try to keep it simple.I am poised to get into reality-fiction mix
in the book called “DUPLICITY”. It will
dig into church politics, double-standard in news reporting, community justice
and much more. I believe this one will
make it in movie theaters!

What
is the hardest thing about writing?

Time!I don’t seem to have enough time in the

day to do what I want to do.Between family, church here and in Liberia, and other leadership roles,
time flees faster than I want.I fight
hard to focus on the little time I have and maximize every given opportunity,
if not creating some, to write whenever and wherever I can.

What
is the easiest thing about writing?

I
spill out ideas without second thought. I don’t beg for ideas, ideas run after me. I can write or transcribe on anything just by jotting
things here and there that I can put in order later.I enjoy sitting in front of my computer to
give the world something that has the potential to transform the lives of
people everywhere.

Do
you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?

Yes, I read a lot.Dr. John Maxwell is my most read author.I now focus on getting books from my fellow Liberian authors. I want to
share in their passion.

What
book/s are you reading at present?

I just completed the “Undefeated Generation” by my Congolese
brother Yvan Yenda Ilunga.You can get
it on Amazon.

Tell
us about the cover/s and how it/they came about.

For
my newest book, “ESTABLISH ME”, I wanted something elevating and eye-catching;
and I think we accomplish that.For
“Born To Take Charge”, I wanted something that is bold; that’s why I placed my
photo right smacked in the middle.For
“Where is God?”, I wanted something that gives direction, and or, asks
questions.Looking at the cover art for
all three books, I believe we did that.I had the idea, and together, with a team of design artists, we brought
that to live.

Do
you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?

I know people have said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”;
but as an author, I know quite well that that is far from the truth. The cover of a book, when it is attractive,
becomes a magnet that draws people to see, pick it up, or pass by it or purchase
it, even before they can ever have the chance to read it. So to answer your question, yes, the cover
plays a vital role in the buying process of any book. Unless you are some big best seller, people
still need something that catches the eye.

How
do you market your books?I do special promotions through the publisher, my church, my
website, social media, speaking engagements, and print media. I am working on attending
book fairs too and lining up radio and TV interviews. Oh before I forget, I chasing every blogger I
can find to blog about my books; I am glad I got you. The process is not easy; it is expensive but quite
worthy.

Do
you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?

Don’t just depend on the publisher to market your books,
even if you pay for the best promotion and marketing packages. You have to market your books to your family,
friends, neighbors and then the general public.
You have to make efforts to negotiate with bookstores and libraries,
coffee shops, when possible, and other venues to carry your books. See yourself as an authority on the subject
you have written about, and that you have something to help others; then go
with the heart to help and do not focus on money. When your heart is in the right place, money
will come!

What
part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book?

Starting
from the time I send my book to edit, I start the marketing. That’s what I did for all three books. But I feel I need to start a little earlier
when I type-set the book, even before it goes to editing. Once I have the real
cover art of the book, then boost my marketing.

What
do you do to get book reviews?

I
encourage my readers to give me reviews online, especially on Amazon and Barnes
and Noble. Though it is a challenge to
get reviews, especially from people that buy from my website or from a meeting,
yet I really encourage all my readers to give me reviews. So if you get chance to read my books, please
go on Amazon and give a review; just a line or two.

Any amusing story about marketing books that
happened to you?

I
visited some family members; and discussion about the books came up, especially
about “Born To Take Charge”. My cousin’s
9-year-old daughter told me that she and her 4-year old brother wanted to do a
promotional video holding the book in their hands. I was surprised at that; but when the two
little cute kids insisted, I took my phone and recorded a heart-warming 1.30
minutes video. It was very cute. I had also had a lady who boarded the train
for 30 minutes to buy the books and t-shirt, but also so that we could take
pictures for her to put it on Facebook and tell all her friends to get their
copies.

What’s
your views on social media for marketing?

It’s a great platform for marketing, when used
properly. Though the amount of views
does not necessarily match clicks on the link to purchase items. And, clicks on links are less in comparison
to purchases. But when things are done
correctly, including free advertisement and paid ads, “likes” and “shares” help
to push things forward. I think a lot of
people nowadays take leads from social media for products. I love that!

Which
social network worked best for you?

Facebook and Twitter, most especially Facebook.

What
is your favorite motivational phrase?

“With God above all things, life is but what one makes
it.” Though this is my philosophy for
life, it really pushes me to go above and beyond to do things, instead of
complaining or quitting.

What
is your favorite positive saying?

“Keep on trying.”
Though, this is a title of a song from the 80s, yet the message is
strong enough to remind me that I should not give up but to keep on trying and
things will work out.

What
is your favorite book and why?

My all-time favorite book is the Holy Bible. It contains all I need for life, vision,
family and the world. Though a religious
book, but when its principles are honored, every soul that heeds to it, always
do better in life.

What
is your favorite film and why?

Saving
Private Ryan! It shows courage, agility
and sacrifice. It also shows that some
traitors can appear loyal at times, so we need to be careful.

Where
can you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

In
5 years I will be a millionaire; so you better make sure that we are still
friends! I want to establish myself as a point of reference for Leadership
Training and Community Development. As
an author, I would have already published about 30 books! My church, Africa
Faith Expressions, will cover many parts of Liberia and the world, establish
schools, youth programs and micro-finance projects to help single moms and
other small business owners. In 5 years,
I want 1 in every 10 books read in Liberia to be my book!

What
advice would you give to your younger self?

Find your purpose and pursue it without looking back! Believe in yourself, trust God and
dream big. Don’t let youthful passions delay or destroy your life. Take charge of your life. If you do not do that, I am sorry no one will
do it for you. Quite interestingly,
people, including your family and friends, are working on their own stuff.

Which
famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

Luther
King, Jr, because he used his position as a minister to stand for justice and
paid the ultimate prize, instead of just talking about it without lifting a
finger like many other pastors or politicians do.

Is there anything else you would like to add
that I haven’t included?

We, as Africans, need to put forth our creativity and give
our best to the world, tell our own stories, whether in music, art or
writing. Instead of letting others tell
us what they think our stories are. And,
when they do, they make money and gain notoriety, while we just sit around to
complain and criticize, especially in a place no one listens to us. Let us give our best to the world in music,
art and writing.

How
can readers discover more about you and you work?

I encourage readers to follow me on social media.

James Nyemah:

Facebook
– Twitter – LinkedIn – Pinterest – Google Plus - YouTube

www.jamesnyemah.com

I encourage everyone
to get on my mailing list and communicate with me and check on book sites like
Amazon, Barnes and Noble and much more.
Many times, I post videos of my teaching on YouTube; and that’s one
unique way to get a deeper sense of what the message is in the books.

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